


Trials of Love

by steviecrown



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate universe - Greek gods and goddesses, Brief Mention of Suicide, M/M, Romance, sleeping curses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22297720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steviecrown/pseuds/steviecrown
Summary: An Eros and Psyche retelling in which Ignis is Eros and Noctis is Psyche.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 5
Kudos: 37
Collections: The Ignoct Big Bang 2019





	Trials of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Here is my entry for the Ignoct Big Bang. Art is by the lovely FalchionSage on twitter.  
> https://twitter.com/FalchionSage

Once upon a time, there was a king and queen that lived in a lovely kingdom, with a son that would grow up to be the most beautiful human being known to man. Suitors from all around the world would come to the kingdom to leave gifts at the young prince’s feet. The prince, Noctis, was incredibly shy and would often hide away in his room, waiting for his father to send them away.

King Regis often joked that if Noctis kept turning everyone away, that he would never settle down.

It was highly embarrassing to be given so much attention.

“You’re the prince, man,” his friend, Prompto had said one day after school. “Everyone thinks you’re hot. Gotta get used to it.”

“Then why aren’t you like everyone else and leaving weird presents for me?”

“Because I know what a loser you are.” That had earned the blond a punch to the shoulder. “Plus, I’m not royalty. Even if I wanted to court you, I don’t think it would be allowed.”

Noctis shrugged. “I’m pretty sure my dad’s okay with me marrying anyone I want, so long as I actually choose someone.”

When Noctis reached of age to be married, the gifts only became more frequent. Noctis found that he couldn’t just simply hide away like he had done before.

The suitors were more insistent this time, too.

More gifts were left for Noctis and it was becoming rather disturbing, and not just for the poor prince.

The goddess Aphrodite was angered that such a mortal as the young boy could be stealing the spotlight. No one even came to her temple anymore!

That, of course, was an exaggeration. Of course there were still people that came to her temple and worshipped her. But when you were a god, a few simple misguidings always turned into a big deal.

“It’s just not fair,” Aphrodite pouted, thrown across the sofa in her temple. Being ever dramatic, she consulted with her son to have the boy killed.

“That seems a bit rash, don’t you think?” Ignis gave his mother a pointed look. “This is just a phase. The boy is still young. Surely in due time, he’ll find someone to marry and everyone will stray away from him.”

“Oh, fine.” His mother threw an arm over her face. “Don’t kill him, then. Make him ugly,” she conjured up a potion, handing it Ignis. “Marry him off to a horrible beast. Really, dear, use your imagination. I shouldn’t have to do your job for you.”

Ignis sought out the prince to take care of the task. If he didn’t do what his mother requested, she would only find someone else to do it for her, and they wouldn’t be so nice about it.

Noctis sat in a meadow, far away from the kingdom, throwing a ball for two dogs to play fetch with. He laughs at the two animals bouncing back and forth.

Ignis takes the potion from his supplies, not the one his dreaded mother had given him. He had spent the entire morning researching recipes and looking for ingredients for making the potion that now lay in his hand. Instead of making Noctis ugly, like his mother had desired, he intended to make it so that no mortal would be attracted to Noctis physically.

It seemed so cruel.

He sprinkled the potion onto his palm and raised it to his lips. He breathed in, at least it smelled good, and blew at the potion in his hand. His wings flapped to move it faster through the air. The wind helps so that the potion makes it to its destination.

Noctis doesn’t even notice as he’s hit in the face. He crinkles his nose a bit and sneezes, but continues playing with the dogs as if nothing had happened.

Ignis is relieved that Noctis’ beauty doesn’t fade from his face. Unlike a majority of the gods, Ignis liked to spend time with the mortals below them. Of course, he couldn’t actually make it so that he was seen by them, but it still felt nice to learn them, get to know them. And he spent so much time having them learn and know each other, making them fall in love. Surely he can still give Noctis that chance.

He reaches into his quiver, pulling out an arrow. He wants to make it so that Noctis will still find love, despite no one being physically attracted to him. Instead, they will fall in love the way Ignis had always intended. They will love Noctis not for his looks, not for his beauty, but because of the person Noctis is.

The sound of one of the dogs barking catches Ignis off guard. He jumps and drops the arrow onto the ground. When he looks up to see what had set the creature off, he freezes, making direct eye contact with the dog. It barks at him, trying to catch Noctis’ attention, trying to tell his master that they’re not alone.

“What is it, boy?” Noctis asks, petting the dog’s head. Perhaps he thinks that his pet had just seen a rabbit or a squirrel and is now seeking permission to chase after it.

Ignis wills for Noctis to not give the animal that permission. He won’t have enough time to shield himself if the dog comes charging after him. Noctis will see him and his cover will be blown.

Ignis can’t bring himself to look away from Noctis as he searches blindly for his arrow on the ground. Noctis is closer this time and Ignis can’t help but take in his beauty. Noctis’ eyes shine a bright ocean blue, framed by hair as dark as midnight. Ignis had heard him laugh earlier, a true melody, but his smile seemed to light up the whole world that it would put Helios’ sun to shame. His heart thumps rapidly in his chest and it’s then that Ignis is sure that he’s in love.

He’s not sure if this is before or after he pricks his finger on his own arrow. Blood trickles down the palm of his hand and Ignis curses.

-

The suitors stopped coming around Noctis, most people on the street wouldn’t even look him in the eye anymore. Although, Noctis didn’t seem to mind. He had disliked the attention anyway and was pleased to finally have some peace and quiet. His mother and father were concerned that they had angered the gods in some way, that perhaps one of the suitors Noctis had rejected had been a god testing them.

Noctis doesn’t think anything of it. His parents are just paranoid, that’s it. But when everyone around him starts dating or getting married, he can’t help but feel left out. He can’t help but feel as if there’s something wrong with him.

Luna had married a knight, Prompto and Gladio were engaged, Iris was seeing a boy in her class, even Ravus, as cold as ever, had talked of meeting someone.

After that, it didn’t take much consoling for Noctis to speak with Luna and have her peer into his future.

“You will be married,” Luna had assured. Her eyes were closed, hand holding Noctis’ as visions flashed in her head. “It seems that your husband lives on top of a mountain in the west and he will treat you to anything you desire.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Noctis huffed. He was relieved to know that he wouldn’t end up being alone. Being the spare wheel in the back while all of his friends went on dates was starting to get exhausting.

“But,” Luna continued, and her eyes tightened, eyebrows furrowing together. Wrinkles formed into her forehead and her grip on Noctis’ hand seemed to tighten. And then a force shoots through her body and Luna jerks back, hands slipping away from Noctis’. Her eyes open slowly, but she doesn’t make eye contact with him. “I’m afraid that it won’t be a man that you marry.”

Noctis was silent. He wasn’t going to marry a man? That was what had Luna troubled? So he could have just easily married a woman, or someone of another gender. Maybe husband was just an umbrella term for spouse.

“They won’t be human,” Luna said, seeming to read into his thoughts. And maybe she did. She was an oracle, after all. It was hard knowing the extent of her abilities.

“I don’t understand…”

And honestly, Noctis isn’t so sure that he wants to.

“In the west, there’s a creature known to be feared even by the gods. A monster, I’m afraid. Although, I can’t be sure. It’s so hard to tell. Something, or someone, shoved me away before I could see what they looked like.”

The king and queen feared for Noctis’ life. They weren’t about to send their son off to some unknown creature. No, instead, they would throw a ball that would be open to everyone around the world. Invitations were sent out, papers were posted all over, and Noctis’ parents were relieved when people actually showed. But still, no one would approach the young prince.

“Do I have something on my face? Is that it?” Noctis asked Prompto and Gladio while everyone avoided him. “Do I smell? I swear I showered this morning!”

“You’ve just got this unavailable vibe around you,” Gladio had said. “It’s like there’s a big sign above you that screams ‘I’m taken, so back off’.”

“But I’m not!”

“Try telling that to your husband,” Prompto whispered, cracking a smile, though it seemed forced.

They had tried joking about the subject after Luna’s reading, but it felt wrong, like laughing at a funeral.

“Maybe you should try approaching someone,” Gladio suggested. “It might help if you put yourself out there.”

“Hey, yeah!” Prompto cheered. “Just go up to them and say that you’re a very single pringle that’s looking to mingle!”

“No one says that!” Noctis cried in frustration. But it wasn’t a bad idea, he thought, with maybe a few less pringles.

Noctis searched through the crowd, looking for a friendly face. It didn’t help that almost everyone had been avoiding eye contact with him. There were very few that stared at him in horror, like they had been looking at a ghost. When he approached a small crowd in the middle of the ballroom, they went their separate ways. The next group of people he walked up to had done the same thing. He decided to go to the food table and grab himself a drink. A woman had gasped at the sight of him and dropped her cup with a loud clank to the floor.

The ballroom went silent and all eyes turned towards him. Some looked at him terror as the woman had, others looked at him in disgust, and then there were others that ignored him altogether.

Noctis felt his heart beat faster in chest and ran from the room and into the hall. He kept running, not knowing where he was going. He could vaguely hear Gladio and Prompto’s voices calling after him, but he ignored them.

He couldn’t keep living like this. The way that everyone stared at him as if there were something on his face, or departed from him as if he smelled of death, or screamed at him in horror; it was humiliating.

Perhaps this was part of his punishment for angering the gods. He had ignored Luna’s prophecy, wrote it off as if it were nothing when he knew better. There had been people before that hadn’t listened to Luna’s readings and had worse fates.

Anxiety overcame him and he rushed to the nearest door that led outside. He found himself out in the gardens and sat at a bench, body bent over with his head in his hands.

“Noct!” a voice called out. He could barely register who it belonged to. Another voice, a lower pitch, called out his name as well. They got closer and closer, his name over and over. “Noct, hey!” And then a large hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him from his panic attack.

Noctis looked up to find Gladio and Prompto staring down at him. There was deep concern in their eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Prompto asked, sitting down next to Noctis on the bench. “You just ran out of there without warning.”

“Noctis!” more voices call out. He looks up to see his mother and father running towards him. His dad takes Gladio’s position, his hands on Noctis’ arms and then face. His mother looks over him for injuries.

“I have to go,” Noctis finds himself saying. His voice is shaken.

“Do you need rest?” his father asked, misunderstanding. “Come, let’s get you to bed.”

“No,” Noctis shook his head when his dad tried to pull him from the bench. “It’s not that. I… I have to go.” He says it with more intention, looking at his father in the eyes.

Everyone’s silent. Prompto’s arm around him slipped away from it’s comforting hold. His mother turned away, covering her face as a mean to hide the tears no doubt streaming down her face. Gladio doesn’t look at him, but Noctis sees him clench his fists. The king stared back at his son, eyes shining bright with his own tears that he refuses to let fall.

Noctis feels his body shake all over, yet he’s still. He’s cold, despite the warm summer weather. There’s streaks of a wetness down his cheeks, but it’s not raining.

Finally his father speaks, insisting, “We can find another way.” His hands on Noctis’ face tighten their hold, as if Noctis were to slip away from his fingers at this very moment. “I’ll speak to one of the gods, ask them to change your fate.”

Noctis takes his dad’s hands into his own and removes them from his cheeks. He’s not sure who squeezes tighter. He manages to say, “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

His father breaks and tears streamed down his face as he pulls Noctis down into a life threatening embrace.

\--

The next morning, Noctis makes his departure. Everyone is reluctant to let him go, even though they had said their goodbyes the night before. Luna apologizes to him, feeling as if it’s her fault Noctis is in the situation that he’s in, and Noctis assures her that it’s all right.

Noctis traveled west, like Luna’s vision had prophesied. He’s not even sure where he’s going, or how he’ll make it to his destination. The journey almost seemed futile when he comes to the edge of a cliff, with no passage as to get around it. He considered turning back, or even jumping from the cliff. Surely death would be a better fate than marrying a monster.

And then, without warning, he was scooped up into someone’s arms and carried over the edge of the cliff.

“Ah! Hey!” he screamed, trying to find the source of the being carrying him. His heart stopped when he realized that no one was holding him, but that he was riding along with the wind’s breeze. He looked down at the bottom of the cliff, where sharp rocks and a shallow river lay. “Shit…”

If he were to fall…

“Relax,” a voice told him. It was feminine, with a deep cut authority. “You’re the prince that Four Eyes keeps raving on about, right?”

“Uh?”

Noctis isn’t sure how to respond to that.

“You’re husband,” the wind says, a little annoyed.

“I don’t… I don’t know?” Noctis confessed sheepishly. He was afraid to piss off the deity. What if they dropped him? “I was told to follow the west wind? That my husband lived on top of a mountain?”

“Yeah,” the deity laughed. “That sounds like Four Eyes.”

Noctis was confused. Was Four Eyes the name of his husband-to-be? Or was it a nickname? Maybe a hint to him actually having four eyes? That didn’t help with Noctis’ anxiety. If anything, he was more sure that he was going to marry a monster.

The wind, who had introduced their self as Aranea, dropped him off at the top of a mountain. Noctis thought that, as he rolled against the grass, he could have been closer to the ground before they had done that. He looked up to sass Aranea, but was cut off by the sight of the most beautiful temple, mansion, more like, that he’d ever seen.

It stood in the middle of the mountain, surrounded by a field of flowers. A willow tree hung over the edge where Noctis stood, a small pond not too far. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“See ya, prince,” Aranea blew a cold breeze through him and Noctis shivered, rubbing the pads of his fingers against his arms.

It took some time for Noctis to take those first few steps toward his new home. He was still hesitant, despite the palace looking ever so peaceful. Monsters could live in a beautiful place, right? Noctis decides that if he were a monster, a soft looking meadow on top of a mountain would be the best place to keep his lair.

Inside, he expected to find skeletal bodies throughout the halls, maybe a few severed heads hung on the wall like trophies. But it’s clean, pristine. The halls are decorated with flowers in pottery, paintings hung on the walls. Dark curtains were pulled over the windows, drowning out any ounce of light that sneaked through.

As Noctis wanders through the corridors, he’s surprised to find no residents lurking about. Not a single soul is in any of the rooms that he explores. It’s eerie, and a bit disturbing.

When he reaches the kitchen, there’s a banquet of food laid out all over the table. There’s a variety of different foods, from meat to fruits and vegetables. Noctis’ stomach growls in hunger from his long journey and he doesn’t even stop to consider whether or not the food could be poisoned before diving in.

Noctis has his mouth full of food when a stranger wearing a dark cloak walks into the room. The stranger seems startled to find Noctis in the room, despite being the owner of the entire house. Well, the stance seems to be what Noctis would assume is startled, as the cloak they wear has a hood pulled up over their face.

“You’re here,” the stranger announced.

Noctis swallowed the food in his mouth and wiped his hands on the side of his chiton. He felt ridiculous as he held out his hand. “Um, hi? I’m…”

“Noctis, right?”

“Uh, Noct.”

“Noct, then.”

He could see the stranger smiling underneath his cloak, but that didn’t help ease him any better. He still had to be wary of his husband. Which reminded him…

“And your name would be?” he asked. It came out as nonchalant and Noctis was afraid that he seemed rude.

But the stranger didn’t seem to mind as they answered, “Ignis. Pleasure to meet you, Noct.” Ignis takes a few steps forward into the room and surveys the table. “Ah, I see you liked the food that I made for you.”

“You made it? All by yourself?” Noctis had been under the impression that his husband-to-be would be wealthy enough to have servants. He feels dumb for assuming such a thing.

“Yes, I seem to have a knack for cooking.” Ignis stops. “Though it seems that you haven’t touched any of the vegetables. Are they not fresh?”

“Um, not a big fan,” Noctis admits and he blushes at the hooded gaze cast in his direction.

“I see.” Ignis doesn’t sound mad, for which Noctis is relieved. “Well, if you would like, I could give you a tour of the place. Or, it is getting rather late, and you must be tired from your journey. We could save the tour for tomorrow.”

Noctis doesn’t realize how tired he is until then. He hadn’t had a proper meal since breakfast that morning, and the journey had been almost an all day thing. With his stomach full now, he felt as if he could pass out on any bed given to him. “Option two sounds good.”

Ignis extends his hand and Noctis willingly accepts it, relaxing that Ignis doesn’t have claws for hands. He leads Noctis down a hallway and into a bedroom with a large bed decorated with many blankets and pillows. Noctis plops down onto the bed, running his hands along the fabric of the blankets and snuggling against one of the pillows. He expects for Ignis to lay down next to him and is a bit surprised when the man continues to stand by the door.

“Um,” Noctis starts, sitting up a bit in the bed. “Are you not coming to bed?”

Ignis finally takes a step into the room, though he doesn’t crawl into bed with Noctis. Instead, he sits at the foot of where Noctis lays. “Not tonight, darling. I will be in the next room across the hall if you need me.”

“Aren’t we supposed to be married, though? Doesn’t that mean we--” Noctis cuts himself off. He was about to say ‘sleep together’, but feels embarrassed at the term. He hadn’t meant for it to sound so crude, but wasn’t that what married couples were supposed to do together?

Ignis must sense this because all he says is, “We will talk more tomorrow. You need some rest.”

\--

Noctis wakes the next morning well rested and in a good mood. He’d expected for the previous day to have been a dream that he made up, that when he woke up he would be back in his own room in Lucis, yet here he is in the same bed where Ignis had left him.

Ignis, he thinks, and sits up in his bed. Last night had not gone the way he thought it would. Ignis didn’t come into his bed like all of his married friends had said would happen. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Would the same thing happen later tonight? Would Ignis leave him all alone and sleep in his own bed, or would he lay with Noctis?

Noctis decided to get dressed and rushed to the room Ignis had said he would be in, but it was empty, like really bare. It didn’t look like anyone lived in this room at all, save for the large bed and stack of books. Even then, though, the bed was well made and the books had a thin layer of dust on them, as if they both hadn’t been touched in a while.

He searched through the palace, peeking into each room that he crossed to see if Ignis would be in there. To his dismay, each room that he checked was empty, with no sign of Ignis being around. Finally, he made his way into the dining room and found the table once again full of food, with a note sitting beside the one lonely chair.

_I’m sorry to take off so early, but I had work to attend to. I should be back before nightfall._

_I’ve made you breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No vegetables, this time. Though don’t consider yourself so lucky in the near future. They’re good for you and important for a healthy diet._

_\--Ignis_

Noctis couldn’t help but smile at the note that Ignis had left behind. Although, he wasn’t sure what Ignis meant when he said he had made him breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as Noctis only saw only the one meal on the table. Unless, he was supposed to save it for later.

That was not the case, however. As breakfast passed and lunchtime came around, new food was put on the table. It spooked Noctis, as he was the only one in the entire palace. Maybe the servants were invisible, he thought while sitting down for his lunch.

To spend his time until nightfall came, he wandered around the outside of the palace, exploring the gardens. The outside was as well kept as the inside was, with fresh flowers and nice green grass. The pond that Noctis had noticed yesterday was sparkling as the sunlight hit it’s surface. He walked to the edge of the pier and sat, he regretted not bringing his fishing pole. His toes touched the tip of the water and he dipped his feet in like a child, kicking the water back and forth. It was only when his stomach started to growl that he returned to the palace to eat dinner.

Ignis returned before nightfall like he had promised, still wearing that damn cloak with the hood up to cover his face.

Night came and the moon outside was the only source to light up the darkened temple. Noctis searched for something to light the place up; a lamp, a candle, even just a match, anything so that it wouldn’t be so dark, but he found nothing. Fed up and tired, Noctis decided to get ready for bed. He was up in his room changing when a soft knock sounded off from his open door. He turned to see Ignis’ silhouette standing in the doorway.

“I just wanted to wish you goodnight,” Ignis said.

Noctis approached his husband, slowly, testing the waters between them. He reached up onto his tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Ignis’ cheek. When Ignis didn’t back away, Noctis proceeded with another kiss to the other cheek, and then finally a shy touch on the lips. Ignis kissed him back, touch just as hesitant as Noctis’ was. His hands lifted from his side and reached out to hold Noctis in his arms, but they faltered and went back down to his sides. Noctis grabbed at Ignis’ hands and pulled him into the room, kissing him more fervently.

The room was dark and Noctis couldn’t help but notice that Ignis wasn’t wearing the cloak from before as his hands wandered up and down Ignis’ body and through his hair. He wanted to see how handsome Ignis was. He could most definitely feel it, his hands roaming every toned muscle on Ignis’ body, through his soft hair, and the noises he made underneath Noctis’ touch. But it wasn’t the same.

Noctis pulled from Ignis, gasping for air to breathe. He turned to the window, in an attempt to pull the curtains away and use the moonlight to gaze onto his husband’s body, but Ignis stopped him with a gentle hold on his wrist.

“Noct, wait,” he pleaded. Ignis guided him back, an arm slipping around Noctis’ waist. “I know that this is going to sound odd, but I must ask that you not see my face.”

Noctis tilted his head to the side in question. “Why? Is there something…?” He didn’t want to say wrong, it sounded rude. “Is it something like a Medusa situation? Will I turn to stone if I look at you?”

Ignis laughed, then cleared his throat. “Nothing like that, darling. Just a simple request.” At Noctis’ silence he added, “Don’t worry, it won’t be a permanent thing. In due time, I’ll be able to reveal myself, but I need for you to trust me. Do you trust me?”

Noctis nodded. “Yes, I do.”

And he did.

\--

A few nights pass on before Noctis invites Ignis to sleep in his bed with him. Ignis is taken aback at the forward request. Noctis blushes, realizing the lack of discreteness in what he had just said.

“I mean, just sleeping,” he adds out in a rush. “Unless you want more…?”

“What do you want, Noct?” Ignis asked.

Noctis chewed on his lip. Of course he wanted to sleep with Ignis. He was a sexually frustrated young adult and his husband had a nice body. Not that he’d actually seen it, except for what little light the moon let slither between the curtain windows, he mostly felt it underneath his hands. They made it a routine where Ignis would always kiss Noctis goodnight; and with each kiss, Noctis wanted more.

But he wasn’t at all experienced. And he feared that Ignis would see him as unworthy with his lack of skills.

“I want you to hold me,” Noctis settled with. It made him feel sappy. But they were supposed to be married.

“I can do that,” Ignis said, and he climbed into the bed with Noctis. He wrapped his arms around Noctis’ side, scooching closer to to his husbands body. Contrary to what Noctis believed, Ignis was just as inexperienced as he was.

It was actually Noctis that made the first move. One night while the couple lay in bed together, kissing each other softly, Noctis let his hands roam. More than just the casual touching Ignis was used to. Noctis’ hands danced over his chest, fingers slid down Ignis’ waist.

—  
A few months have passed since Noctis’ arrival when Noctis starts to become depressed. Ignis does his best to fix it by making Noctis his favorite treats and bringing him home more fishing poles than Noctis needs, but they only help so much.

“I’m just lonely,” Noctis said one night while the couple lay in bed. “I only get to see you at night.”

Ignis felt selfish. He’d asked Noctis to stay here while Ignis ran off during the day, leaving his poor husband alone.

“I’m sorry, darling,” Ignis said, snuggling closer to Noctis. He wrapped an arm around Noctis’ waist and rolled so that his husband was on top of him, cradling his head on Ignis’ chest. Ignis kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back. “Would you like it if I sent someone to bring your family here? They could see our beautiful house. There’s enough room for them to stay.”

Noctis sighed. “That does sound nice, but my dad won’t be able to make such a long trip.”

“Well, then maybe you could go visit them,” Ignis suggested, though the thought pained him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Noctis to come back, he knew that he would. Besides, if Noctis really wanted to, he could have left a long time ago. But Ignis couldn’t help but have a bad feeling that something would go wrong if Noctis was to visit his family.

The way that Noctis’ head perked up as he looked at Ignis sent all those bad thoughts away. If Noctis was happy, that was all that mattered.

“Really?” Noctis asked. “I can visit them?”

“Of course,” Ignis said. “They’re your family, you can visit them whenever you like.”

Noctis leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Ignis’ lips. “Thank you. I love you.”

“Of course,” Ignis said again. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re trapped here. You’re free to come and go as you please.” He returned Noctis’ kisses. “Just be careful.”

“I will,” Noctis said, hands touching Ignis all over. “I promise.”

\--

“So wait,” Prompto said, elbows on the table as he leaned closer to Noctis. “You’ve never seen his face?”

“He works away from home during the day, so it’s night when he comes back.” Noctis leaves out the part about how they spend their nights. They’re his friends, his family, but they don’t need to know every little detail.

“There isn’t any lights?” Gladio pushed. “At all?”

“The moonlight shines through the windows.” Noctis feels like he has to keep making excuses for the way he lives, when he’s become accustomed to it by now. Would he like to see Ignis’ face? Sure, more than anything. But he respects Ignis and trusts that he’ll show himself when he’s ready, just like he had said when they first met.

Each member of his family sitting at the table with him looks at him with pity. Noctis shrinks back like a child being scolded.

“Let me get this straight,” Gladio says. “There’s no light in your place and he hides away during the day.”

“Works,” Noctis corrects, but Gladio ignores him.

“You said that he likes to cook, so he’s feeding you, and he spoils you.” Noctis pouts, opens his mouth in protests but Gladio continues, “And you’ve never seen his face during the whole six months that you’ve lived there. Right?”

Noctis doesn’t say anything. He feels like he shouldn’t have to answer, to explain himself, even though they all already know the answer.

“Face it, Noct,” Prompto says, face contorting into concern. “He’s a monster and he’s fattening you up so that he can eat you later.”

Noctis stares in disbelief. He looks to his parents for their opinion, but they just stare at him as if they still can’t believe that he’s sitting right here in front of them. His mother had cried on his arrival, while his father simply pulled him into an embrace and refused to let go for a very long time.

He wants to tell them that it doesn’t matter if Ignis is a monster or not, because he loves him either way. And Ignis loves him and that’s all that matters.

But doubt settles into his mind at the possibility that it could be true.

Prompto exits the room and comes back with a lamp in his hands. He places it on the table, sliding it in Noctis’ direction. “Look, it can’t hurt to at least look, right? Just wait until he’s asleep and light it up so that you can see his face. Even if he’s not a monster, he could still be an ugly old man or something.”

“And if he is,” Gladio says, pulling the hunting dagger from his belt and placing it next to the lamp on the table. “If he is a monster, use this on him.”

Noctis’ stomach twists into a knot. Gladio, Prompto, and his parents continue to stare at him until he takes the items and puts them into his bag.

-

Ignis greets him with a huge kiss when he comes back the next night. His hands roamed all over Noctis, pushing their bodies together as he made love to him.

“I missed you,” Ignis whispered when they lay tangled in the sheets. “I think I drove Aranea mad talking about how much I missed you.”

Noctis laughed. “Yeah, she seemed a little annoyed when she picked me up.”

“Did you enjoy visiting your family?” Ignis asked, nuzzling into Noctis’ neck and leaving tiny kisses against the flesh.

“Yeah.” Noctis leaned into the kisses. He sighed at the contact. If Ignis kept it up, they were going to be doing another round tonight. “They liked the presents I gave them. I don’t think they wanted me to leave, though.”

At that, Ignis held Noctis to him a little tighter and put all of his body weight on top of him. It was as if he were trying to prevent anyone from coming in and taking Noctis away. “Did they give you anything?”

Noctis felt a lump form in his throat as he thought of the abandoned lamp and dagger at the bottom of his bag. “Yeah,” he said, “my parents gave me some freshly made wine for my birthday. Luna found a nice himation made of wool for when winter comes. And I got some new bait for fishing from Gladio and Prompto.” Which wasn’t a lie.

Ignis kissed at the edge of Noctis’ neck, leaving a trail down to his shoulder. “I didn’t know your birthday was coming up. Why didn’t you tell me?” Noctis just shrugs, lifting his shoulder up into Ignis’ kiss. “I’ll have to get you something extra special.”

“Isn’t this my present?” Noctis ran his hand down Ignis’ front.

He can’t bring himself to take out the dagger and lamp that night, or even the next night. Noctis doesn’t think that he’s going to use it all. And then the doubt that was planted in his head starts to grow.

What if Ignis really is a monster? Noctis tells himself that it doesn’t matter, that he’d still love Ignis even if he had sharp teeth and claws -- which he knows that Ignis doesn’t have.

Or maybe he does? Maybe he hides them somehow when he’s with Noctis at night. He can’t help but think of what Gladio and Prompto had said, about him avoiding the light and about how he’s fattening Noctis up so that he can eat him. Plus there’s Luna’s vision and Aranea always refers to Ignis as “four eyes”.

A few nights after visiting his family, Noctis sets the dagger and lamp underneath his pillow before Ignis returns home. He doesn’t respond to any of Ignis’ touches that night. Ignis starts to think that something must be wrong, but Noctis assures him that he’s just tired.

He stays awake while Ignis cuddles against him. It’s not like his brain would let him sleep anyway. Guilt pools in his stomach for what he’s about to do. He waits until he’s sure Ignis has fallen asleep, until he hears the soft sound of his husband’s snoring. Noctis pulls himself from Ignis’ grasp and grabs the dreadful supplies from underneath his pillow.

He stands by the edge of the room’s entrance to light the lamp, holding the dagger close to his chest. Noctis tiptoes over to Ignis’ side of the bed, hesitating a moment before lifting the lamp to reveal his husband’s face.

Only to find that Ignis isn’t a monster at all. He’s not even a man. He’s the god, Eros. And he’s beautiful, oh so beautiful. Noctis admires his husband’s beauty, from his soft lips that Noctis has spent so many nights kissing, to his broad chest that’s embraced him while they lay in bed, and down to his hands that have worshipped Noctis’ whole being. Beautiful wings splayed across Ignis’ backside and Noctis wonders how he’s never felt them before.

Noctis leans in closer to get a better look at his beloved. As he does so, his foot tangles in the loose bed sheets on the floor and he stumbles, catching himself with his knee on the bed. But his hand slips, and wax from the lamp drips at the edge, landing on Ignis’ face.

Ignis startles awake, hand instinctively reaching up to his face. “Noct…” he scolds, a low sigh escaping from his tired lips. He opens one eye, the other covered by his hand where Noctis had spilled the wax. “I told you not to--” He cuts himself off, his opened eye catching sight of the dagger that still rests in Noctis’ hand.

Noctis looks down at the dagger in surprise and drops it on the floor. It lands with a clang. He opens his mouth to say something, anything, but no words come out. Not until it’s too late.

“Iggy, wait!” he cries out as Ignis leaps from the bed and flies out of the window. He doesn’t spare Noctis a second glance. Noctis runs to the window, but his foot is still tangled in the sheets and he trips, knocking himself out against the hardwood floor.

\--

Noctis wakes the next morning in an open meadow. He would have thought that the whole thing had been an elusive dream he’d had if it wasn’t for the bed sheet wrapped around him and the stupid dagger at his feet. A sharp breeze blows right through him and he sits up, pulling the sheet tighter around him.

“I fucked up,” he says, looking up at Aranea’s steely gaze.

“You did,” she replies, shoving another harsh bit of cold air in his face. He raises his hands to shield himself, but she only blows harder. It feels as if she’s slapping him in the face.

And she probably is, Noctis settles. She’d have every reason and right to.

“Please,” he begs, shivering underneath her cold breezes. “I have to make things right with Ignis. I have to tell him that I’m sorry.” Aranea doesn’t reply. She doesn’t even blow anymore cold wind at him, which he’s grateful for. “I love him…”

“You don’t have to prove anything to me, prince.” She doesn’t say anything for a long time. And then, “If you wanna make it up to him, you’ll have to go through Aphrodite first.”

Aphrodite.

Ignis’ mother.

His mother-in-law.

Noctis swallows roughly because he knows that it won’t be easy, but he asks Aranea to take him there. She reluctantly agrees. And if she drops him a little roughly on the ground, Noctis doesn’t complain.

\--

Aphrodite is every bit as beautiful, just as Noctis had expected. He’d expected for her to be a kind and gentle soul, as well. And she probably was, when people like Noctis didn’t betray her or her son. Still, though, the slap across his cheek catches him off guard and he falls to the temple floor.

“How dare you!” she shouts at him, the sound echoing against the walls. “After what you do to my son, you come here? Asking for my help of all things? And for what, so that my dear son will take your wretched self back?”

Noctis swallows the lump in his throat. He doesn’t take his eyes off of the floor, doesn’t look the goddess in the eyes. “Please,” he begs. “Ignis… I… I love him.”

“Oh? You love him? Is that why you held a dagger up to his throat, ready to slice it?” She humphs at him, turns up her nose and falls onto the couch. “He should have killed you when he had the chance, like I had asked of him.” She glares. “But no, he had to go all soft and go against my demands.”

Noctis peeks up at her. “Please, Aphrodite,” he begs again. “I’ll do anything to prove my love to him.”

Aphrodite laughs at him. Then taps her finger against her chin as if she’s considering it. A wicked smile crossed her face and Noctis feels his stomach tie in knots. “Very well, then. Go off to see Demeter and fetch me some grains from her. I shall put you up to your first task when you come back.”

First task. Not just one. Then again, Noctis didn’t expect this to be easy, but fetching a few grains from the goddess Demter didn’t seem so bad.

Upon his arrival, Demeter doted after him like his own mother would. She changed him into a chiton and draped a warm cloak around him, framing his face in her hands.

“My daughter’s away with that husband of hers until spring comes,” Demeter explained, gathering up the grains that Aphrodite had requested into multiple baskets. “So I don’t usually have visitors anymore.”

“You must really miss her,” Noctis said.

“Oh, I do. Terribly. But I know that she’ll be alright.” She loaded up another basket and handed it off to Ignis. “So, you must be Ignis’ new husband that everyone has been talking about.”

Noctis nods. “Yes, but I’m afraid I messed up our relationship. It’s why I’m doing chores for Aprhodite now.”

Demeter’s face softened. “Oh, you poor child.” She patted his cheek. “Don’t fret, though. Ignis is a kind soul, even if he did match my daughter up with that--” She cuts herself off, instead smiling in Noctis’ direction as she hands him one more basket. “There! That should do it.” She helped him gather the baskets in his arms and gave him a loving pat. “I wish you the best of luck, my boy.”

As Noctis arrived back to Aphrodite’s temple, he couldn’t help but wish that Demeter were his mother-in-law instead. Especially as Aphrodite viewed each of the baskets with grace, picked the last one up, and dumped it onto the floor. She did the same with the next one, dumping right onto the first pile. The next two she sprinkled against the floors, walking from one end of the temple to the other. On the final basket, she flung it at the wall.

“Well,” she said, looking around at the grains on the floor, “this is quite the mess you brought me.” Noctis opened his mouth in protest, but thought better of it. “Clean this up! I want each grain to go back into its own basket.” She kicks at a basket that still has some grains in it, sending the basket against the wall. “And I want this done by tonight.”

Noctis waits until after she’s left before sinking to his knees. He feels like crying, but he knows that it won’t do any good. It won’t get him to see Ignis any faster and it certainly won’t help him sort this mess.

“Is this punishment for not eating my vegetables?” He looks up at nothing or no one in particular, but he hopes that Ignis can hear him, wherever he is. When he doesn’t receive an answer, he continues sorting through the grains, picking at each one by one. It almost seems hopeless. Half of the day has already passed and he knows that the sun will be going down soon. He’ll never get this done in time.

He throws one of the grains into its basket in defeat. It takes him a while to notice the pile of ants swarming around him. They start to pick up the grains and Noctis panics, thinking that they’re going to run off with it. He goes to snatch it from the ant, to smash the ants underneath his thumb, but he’s surprised when each one of them dumps the grain into its proper basket.

They’re helping him, he realizes.

Noctis smiles and looks around. He can’t see Ignis, but he knows that he’s out there, in the distance. And he’s helping Noctis. Happy tears trail down Noctis’ cheeks and he knows that they’re going to be okay.

\--

It didn’t hurt when Noctis spilled the hot wax onto his skin. It didn’t even hurt when he crashed, literally crashed, at his mother’s temple. Even when Ignis had pricked himself with one of his arrows, it hadn’t hurt then. Nothing compared to when he woke up to Noctis hovering over him with a dagger in his hand.

He hadn’t been upset that Noctis peeked at his face, even though Ignis had told him not to, because Ignis had been planning on revealing himself to Noctis. He’d talked with Aranea about it, it was all that he could talk about. Ignis was sure that she would have blown him away if she could.

But Noctis, standing above him with the dagger held close to his chest, ready to use it if he needed to. It broke Ignis’ heart.

Now he knew why all the mortals cursed him when they experienced heartbreak, when they fell in love with someone they weren’t supposed to.

Ignis grabbed at one of his arrows that was only meant for making others fall out of love. He could use it on himself, he thought. He’d pricked himself with an arrow to fall in love with Noctis, surely he could do the same to not love Noctis anymore.

There were consequences, however. Few people that were shot by one of these arrows usually never found love again, while a select few died from heartbreak. The majority moved on, lived their lives, and found happiness in the end. Ignis decided it wouldn’t be so bad if he were to be one of those first two options. He didn’t care if he never found love again, or if the heartbreak killed him. He just wanted to pain to stop.

He wanted to stop loving Noctis.

So he pricked his finger the same way he had fallen in love. Blood trickled down his fingers. He thought of Noctis, of his beautiful hair as dark as the night sky and his ocean eyes that Ignis wanted to drown himself in. Wait, no. That wasn’t right. He wasn’t supposed to have these feelings, he wasn’t supposed to love Noctis.

He tried again, pricking his other finger. Maybe he’d poked the wrong one. Yeah, that had to be it. But no, even after the blood spilled, he still felt love for Noctis.

Frustration took over and Ignis grasped the arrow in his hand, knuckles tightening around the base of it. He held it up to his chest, right where his heart was located, and plunged the arrow deep inside. Ignis cried out in pain, tears welling in his eyes as he pierced his own heart. But the feeling was still there. He still loved Noctis, arrows be damned, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

\--

Aphrodite wasn’t happy to learn that Noctis had completed her task. She tossed a dry roll of bread at him, which he gratefully accepted. He hadn’t eaten since Demeter shoved food into his mouth while she set up the baskets. Although, the look on Aphrodite’s face did not settle his stomach.

She grabbed him by his arm and pulled him out of the temple, leaving a bruise on his wrist. Noctis winced and tried to ease some of the pain by running to keep up with her steps.

Aphrodite seemed to march effortlessly across the plains. Then again, Noctis would too if he had gotten a full night's sleep and a proper meal the day before.

She led him to a field where a giant herd of golden sheep ate at the grass. Noctis thought himself to be lucky, sheep were gentle creatures. Whatever Aphrodite had planned would be easy.

Apparently not.

Noctis was to snag the golden wool of the sheep. For whatever reason, Aphrodite couldn’t just go out and buy the wool herself. Something about it being fresh from the source. Little did he know, though, that the sheep were fiery creatures. They weren’t going to allow just anyone to take their wool from them.

The moment that Noctis set within a ten foot radius of one of the sheep, they charged at him. He tried again later when they had all calmed down, and another almost bit his hand off.

“Don’t take the wool from the sheep themselves,” a voice whispered in his ear. “Look there, see where pieces have gotten caught on the thorns.”

Noctis looked over to the bushes scattered in the field. There were, just as the voice had said, chunks of wool stuck on the pointy thorns inside the bushes.

“Wait until nightfall,” the voice whispered before disappearing off into the wind.

The sun went and the night sky flew across the land. The sheep snuggled up to each other and fell fast asleep, leaving Noctis to his task.  
-  
“You’re cheating!” Aphrodite screeched the next morning. “I don’t know how you’re doing it, but you are!” She threw the wool that Noctis had gathered, sending it flying across the marble floors.

Noctis hung his head in defeat, and from tiredness. He really hadn’t slept the past few days and the effect was starting to weigh him down. He just wanted Ignis back, and then maybe a week’s long nap afterwards.

There was no way that he could prove it, but Noctis was sure that it was Ignis helping him with the tasks that Aprhodite gave him. Not like he would tell the goddess as such.

“All of this stress is wearing me out,” Aphrodite complained. “I feel faint, tired.” She collapsed onto her chaise, hand resting against her forehead. The goddess whined. “Mmmm. That reminds me, I have another task for you.”

‘When will it end?’ Noctis couldn’t help but think to himself.

“The Queen of the Underworld has a sleep-aid potion that she uses on the land for when she goes to be with Hades. I do believe I’ve deserved a full night's rest at best. So I’m gonna have you go ask her for it.”

In other words, she had politely, but not so politely told him to ‘go to hell’. But the only way that people got into the Underworld was by dying. Was Aphrodite suggesting that he kill himself? He was too afraid to ask.

Which was how he found himself at the edge of a cliff, considering whether or not he should make the jump. On the one hand, he would be dead and would never see Ignis again. He would never be able to hold Ignis in his arms or tell him how much he loved him. But then again, Ignis was immortal. So that would mean that Ignis would be able to come and go to the Underworld as he pleased, right? Sure, the situation wasn’t ideal, but Noctis was at a lost as of right now.

Noctis had taken his first step over the edge when a huge burst of wind pushed against him. He stumbled, and he recognized the feel of the breeze against his skin as he fell against the grass.

“Are you stupid?” Aranea hissed at him, sending cold air down his spine.

Noctis shivered, folded his arms together to shield himself from the chill. “A-Aranea?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I have to get into the Underworld. It’s the only way I can get Ignis back.”

“And you think killing yourself is the only option?” Aranea sighed. “Oh, Prince.”

“What other way is there? Only immortals can come and go into the Underworld as they please.”

“Exactly. How did you expect to come back after you took the swan dive?”

Noctis was silent. He hadn’t actually planned that far ahead. His mind was only thinking about how to get into the Underworld, not on how he would be able to deliver the potion to Aphrodite.

“Look,” Aranea whispered in his ear, “there’s a passage through the Pitioss Dungeon. It’ll be quite the trip, and it’s certainly no fun in the sand. But it’s better than offing yourself.”

“How do I get there?” Noctis asks.

“I’ll take you.” And without warning, without a confirmation, Aranea lifts Noctis off from the ground and soars up into the sky with him.

\--

The Pitioss Dungeon was horrible. There were twists and turns, Noctis made jumps and slides he didn’t think he would ever make in his life, and the falling. He kept fucking falling and having to start from the first checkpoint all over again.

But for Ignis, it was worth it. Noctis would do it a million more times if it meant he got to see his Ignis.

“Now when you go down there,” Aranea had warned, “there’s gonna be people begging for your help. No matter how desperate they look, don’t help them. Don’t touch them, don’t even look them in the eye if you can help it.”

A small object was placed into the palm of Noctis’ hand. He looked down and it appeared to be a coin.

“That’s your ticket into the Underworld. Give that to the ferryman and he’ll take you right across the River if Styx.” Two more objects were placed into the young prince’s hands. “These are some treats to distract Cerberus with.”

When Noctis has finally conquered the dungeon’s puzzle, he walked right into the entrance of the Underworld. The ferryman, like Aranea had mentioned, was sitting on his boat, waiting for the next victim. Noctis had to remind himself that he wasn’t a victim.

He handed over the coin, to which the man took and welcomed Noctis onto his boat. Throughout the whole ride, souls from the river reached up to Noctis and begged for his mercy. A few had even tried to pull him in. Even the ferryman had tried to ask for Noctis’ help when they finally crossed.

Cerberus was a giant puppy, and he cooperated more than Noctis thought he would. There was a moment when he thought that the three headed dog would bite his hand off, but received a huge sniff and lick instead.

Persephone was beautiful, and so nice. Hades climbed to her the entire time during Noctis’ stay, as if he thought Noctis would steal the queen away from him.

On the way out of the Underworld, however, Noctis couldn’t help but wonder why Aphrodite would need a potion for sleep aid anyway. She was a goddess, an immortal. She didn’t need sleep.

And Noctis was curious, and a bit worn out. So he couldn’t help but think that taking a bit of the potion for himself wouldn’t hurt. He didn’t need all of it. Just a small ounce so that he could get a good night's rest after dealing with the goddesses abuse.

Back out on the living land, Noctis couldn’t help himself and popped the top off of the small bottle. He would only take a drop, save it for later. But the moment that the top was off, a pink dust exploded in Noctis’ face. He felt dizzy at first, and then nauseous. As he fell to the ground, Noctis realized his mistake.

The sleeping potion was a curse, not an aid. Aphrodite had not intended to use it on herself, but on Noctis. She had tricked him.

—

Ignis had finally healed and recovered. His mother had tried to keep him bedridden longer than he needed, telling him that he needed all the rest he could get. After almost a week, he had had enough. He wanted to see his husband.

Of course, Noctis had went against his wishes and looked at his face. He had physically and emotionally hurt Ignis, but Ignis didn’t care. Ignis blames himself. He shouldn’t have told Noctis to live such a life. He should have told him everything from the very beginning.

Which was why Ignis was desperate to find his beloved.

It was thanks to Aranea that he was even able to locate Noctis. She told him all about the trials his mother had forced Noctis to do. Ignis knew, of course he knew, but it still made him angry that Noctis had to suffer so. And now his poor husband was under a sleeping curse.

Ignis sighed. “Whatever am I to do with you,” he muttered, kneeling by Noctis side.

He admired his husbands beauty, how peaceful he looked. He loved Noctis so much, and he wanted a chance to start over, to do things right.

Ignis gathered the spell from Noctis’ face and stored it back into the bottle, sealing it up tight and storing it away. Noctis’ eyes opened slowly and he looked around in confusion, and then awe as he saw Ignis above him.

“Iggy…”

“Hello, my love.”

“Iggy, I’m so sorry. I…”

Ignis presses a finger again this lips and shushed him. “It’s alright, love. I should have told you what was going on. I wish to make it up to you however.” Noctis tilted his head and Ignis pulled out the ambrosia from his satchel. “I would like to start over, to marry you properly this time. And I wish to share an eternal life with you, if you’ll have me.”

Noctis didn’t hesitate. He took the ambrosia and consumed it. A glow shone over his body and butterfly wings sprouted from his back. “Of course I will. I love you.”

Ignis pulled him close to his embrace and they soared up into the sky together. “I love you as well, my darling love.”


End file.
